Lord Mayor of Birmingham unveils first piece of The World’s Largest Work of Art at Broadway Plaza, Birmingham

The first piece of the largest work of art, The Connection Worldwide by modern artist Luke Burton, is unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham Councillor Muhammad Afzal in Broadway Plaza, Birmingham. Ed James, disc jockey, broadcaster, and journalist, who currently hosts the Drive Show for Heart West Midlands in Birmingham kindly agreed to coordinate the event and introduce the guests. These included Natal Chapman, Manager at Broadway Plaza and representatives of the charities who are partners of The Connection project.

After the event, guests were treated to refreshments kindly hosted at Ralph’s Bar, situated right next to the sculpture in the centre of Broadway Plaza, which gave everyone involved a chance to get to know each other, as many were meeting for the first time.

The day was quite emotional for Luke Burton, the artist who designed The Connection. “It was a wonderful day” says Luke, “after so many delays due to Covid, to finally launch this project in the heart of Birmingham in the presence of the Lord Mayor and so many friends and supporters was just amazing. I’m really touched and very excited to be working with all our fantastic charities to spread a message of hope and to bring communities together through these works of art.”

The walls of this iconic sculpture represent the struggles we face in our everyday lives and how leaning on one another as a community helps us stay strong and build each other up. Individuals will be able to be permanent part of this historic artwork by having their name or message engraved on a unique stainless-steel brick. Companies will be invited to sponsor a brick, personalised with their company name and logo. Individuals and sponsors have an option to donate to one of the charity partners when they order their engraved messages. For Broadway Plaza, the charity partners are Cancer Research UK, The Salvation Army, Dreams and Wishes, University Hospitals Birmingham and The Charlie Ramsey Research Fund.

Broadway Casino in Broadway Plaza also became the first business to support The Connection, making a very generous donation to the project. Denis Dowling presented Luke Burton with a cheque for £5,000 before the unveiling.

 People can join Luke on this inspiring adventure by ordering their engraving here   or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Let’s Connect!